I recently read an article written by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant on women doing office housework.[1] It couldn’t ring truer to my ears than now. As a paralegal, it is your job to do all the admin tasks being delegated by the attorneys. But as an attorney, I somewhat still am asked to do those admin tasks on top of the workload of an attorney. Recently, during a trial, not only was I expected to do all the preparation for the trial, but I was also expected to put the exhibits together, and prepare the binders. What is one supposed…

In honor of today’s Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics, I thought we would take a brief look at women’s participation in the Olympics. The Olympics have not always been, and it can be argued, continues to be hostile to women’s involvement. In fact, though the Olympic games in Ancient Greece included foot races for unmarried girls, women were banned from the first modern Olympics in 1896. Women’s involvement in the Olympics and sports, in general, were openly criticized by the founder of the Modern Olympics, Baron Pierre de Coubertin. According to the Baron, participation in sports destroyed a woman’s…

In 2009, I took a one year sabbatical from my 13+ year law career. I turned out the lights in my 42d floor office at 4 Times Square and left. Just a year. Nine years later, I often joke that I’m still on that one year sabbatical. The truth is, I’ve transitioned away from the active practice of law, and nine years has given me a fair perspective to understand how and why that transition has been so successful. In nine years, I’ve worked on the executive team of a pioneering start-up company, negotiated publishing contracts and a literary agency contract, launched…

Hello and welcome to On the Field: Women in Sports Law! I am really looking forward to learning more about this area together this next year. To all my sports fans, let me welcome you to this column in which we’ll investigate different sports organizations, their legal impact, and how women have shaped the sports arena. For those of you whose interests lie outside of sports, let me begin by saying I know that I may not be able to convince you of sports' merit. Besides the bloated budgets and expenditures on sports and related products that could go towards…

If you have a legal proceeding to go through, first of all, you should arm yourself with patience. Days in court are stressful and long, even if you’re on the winning side. There are many aspects to be considered when it comes surviving these situations, but the most important thing is to give your best and stay collected throughout the process. For that reason, here are ten tips on how to survive your day in court. 1. Have the Costs in Mind In order not to get flabbergasted to the point of a heart attack when the list of costs…

This kind of behavior is what makes it extremely difficult to speak out against workplace harassment and assault. To date, more than sixty women in the film and production industry have accused acclaimed Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment and assault. At least two of these accusations have resulted in law enforcement officials and prosecutors opening criminal investigations that may lead to his indictment on rape and sexual assault charges. And while many may be interested in the salacious downfall of Weinstein for their own diabolical interests, there are those of us who appreciate the important conversations that have…

Since my first novel, Lemongrass Hope, was published in 2014, I’ve had the fabulous fortune of being invited to (read: have lovingly crashed) dozens – maybe even close to a hundred book clubs. When we get to the part where I left my career at Skadden Arps in 2009 for what was supposed to be a one-year sabbatical, but stayed away from the law to keep telling stories, I’m often asked an understandable question – so why don’t you use your legal experience to write legal fiction? My answer has always been simple and true. Because I wasn’t a criminal…

Women lawyers who specialize in exclusively defending people caught driving under the influence aren't plentiful. They're scarce. A Google search on "women lawyers who defend DUI only" turns up reams of lawyers talking about how to successfully defend cases where a lady received a DUI, but nothing about female lawyers. Most women attorneys practice as public defenders. The ones that do defend clients' against DUI charges are primarily criminal defense lawyers. Clara Shortride Foltz was the first female attorney on America's West Coast. It was Ms. Foltz who first presented the idea of the public defender. Foltz was the first…

Becoming a powerful female attorney or law school Juris Doctor of Law (J.D.) graduate in today’s grueling professional circle is no small feat for many in today’s society. May I first start out by applauding all of my fellow law school graduates and attorney groups for completing this perilous journey while many others failed or strayed too far from the path. Being a Ms. JD law school survivor or attorney in any city means you need to build and continue connections with people in the professional community at all times. Reach out with a phone call, text or social media…

The women that serve daily on behalf of the American people are fierce trailblazers in their own right. As a means to seemingly promote gender equality, there is a new term that has been floating around the United States Congress. You see, as of late congressional members have been referring to their female House representatives and Senate members as “gentle-ladies.” (Example: The gentle lady from California will now address the House.) Now whatever your personal opinion is on the alluring appeal (or lack there of) of the term itself, there is one thing I think that we can all come…

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